


Learn to Fly Again

by Zetal (Rodinia)



Series: Every Ship Is A Good Ship [24]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU - Superheroes, Adoption, Baby!Jack, Castiel Needs a Hug, Depression, F/M, Figuring Out Life Directions, Giving up a child, M/M, Multi, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:02:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25278172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rodinia/pseuds/Zetal
Summary: Having Sam and Hannah was about all that kept Castiel going.  He hadn't managed to figure out what to do with himself since giving up life as a superhero, and it was really starting to wear him down.  Sam and Hannah supported him doing whatever he figured out that he wanted to do... but what was that??The answer came from the most unexpected place he could imagine.
Relationships: Castiel/Hannah/Sam Winchester
Series: Every Ship Is A Good Ship [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1600348
Comments: 8
Kudos: 8





	Learn to Fly Again

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Castiel Bingo  
> Square: Fallen!Castiel
> 
> Written for SPN Rare Ship Bingo  
> Square: Sam
> 
> Written for SPN Poly Ship Bingo  
> Square: Free Space
> 
> Written for SPN Song Challenge Bingo  
> Square: Broken Wings - Mr Mister
> 
> Prompts from [here](https://bleep0bleep.tumblr.com/prompts).  
> Setting: Museum  
> Genre: undefined  
> Trope: Superheroes/Superpowers  
> Prompt: Magical appearing baby

The unveiling of the tribute to the Angels of the Lord, a now-disbanded superhero group, was a good excuse for Castiel to get out of the house. Ever since they had disbanded, Castiel had been drifting and feeling rather useless. His husband Sam was a brilliant lawyer serving good in his own way without any kind of powers, and his wife Hannah managed a superhero support service – everything from arranging medical care for those hard-to-explain wounds to legal defense for collateral damage and the occasional bad decision to special laundering services for costumes and hair care products to keep those locks looking their best. Of course, it was important to everyone that the superheroes not be let completely off the hook, but no one wanted to see their defenders taken down because in the heat of battle they chose to go after the villain they were fighting instead of rescuing civilians who had been caught in the crossfire, or vice versa only to see the villain go on to complete his task and kill even more people.

Castiel had tried going solo, working as a vigilante instead of part of a team, but eventually he’d gotten to where he didn’t trust his decision-making. He couldn’t. Every decision he made ended up going wrong on him. Hannah and Sam both tried to convince him that he was wrong, that he was useful and good at his work, but they’d both supported him when he said he was going to retire, so Castiel wasn’t sure how much he believed that. Now that he was retired, he was still trying to figure out what was next for him. Hannah and Sam put no pressure on him at all. They didn’t need the money, so they were perfectly fine with waiting until he figured out what made him happy.

Being here, seeing his old friends… that made him happy, for now. It wouldn’t last, but at least it was something to do. It was great to see everyone – although being together, he couldn’t help but realize that the problems that had driven the Angels to disband were never going to go away. His dream of reuniting the Angels and going back out would never become reality, or if it did, it would become a nightmare. Still, for today, they could pretend. They could enjoy the good times they’d had, all the lives they’d saved, and ignore the hurt that the way they’d fallen apart had caused.

Castiel was just getting ready to leave when he saw a flash of light on the ground beneath his feet. When it faded enough that he could see again, he could see the sleeping baby in the carrier on the ground, and the note tucked into the blanket.

_Castiel –_

_I don’t know if you remember me. I’m the superhero Foxglove, and you saved my life a few months ago._

Castiel remembered. It was his last solo mission. Foxglove was on the run from the Devil in Disguise, and Castiel had managed to hide her while he fought off the Devil until Hannah could get backup there. Foxglove had been thoroughly appreciative, but Castiel felt like he was a failure for needing the backup. Even against the Devil, an Angel ought to be able to hold his own. Sam had tried to reason with him that he had held his own, that the Angels never fought without calling in backup, but Castiel had taken it as the nail in the coffin of his hero career.

_I didn’t tell you then what the Devil wanted with me. I found out too late that the man I’d been dating was actually the Devil’s human identity at the time. I won’t bother giving you the name; he’s gone on to a new identity. He wasn’t after me for any of the normal reasons – he was after me because I had gotten pregnant with his child._

Castiel stopped reading, looking down at the child, a horrible suspicion growing. The letter went on to confirm it.

_I feel like such a terrible mother, sending my child away like this, but the Devil won’t stop hunting me to get his son. I’m sending him to you. If you can keep him yourself, that would be my preference, but if you can’t, please get Hannah to find him somewhere I’ll know nothing about. I’m doing what I have to if I want my son to grow up safe and good. I’ll record messages any time I can, for you to give him when he’s old enough to understand, or pass along through Hannah, but I can’t afford to know anything until things change. I’ve enclosed authorization for you to sign whatever legal paperwork needs to be signed for my son to be officially adopted by whatever family he ends up with. I am so sorry to dump this on you, but you’re the only person I can trust with this._

_I heard you retired from active heroing. I’m sorry to hear that, because you were one of the best. Be my hero for one last mission, please._

_Kelly Kline, aka Foxglove_

_P.S. I would appreciate it if you would name the baby Jack, after my father, but I understand that an adoptive family might want to choose their own name for him._

Castiel picked up the carrier and moved through the crowd to find Sam and Hannah. “We need to talk.”

Hannah raised an eyebrow. “So it would seem. At home?”

“Yes. Please.” Castiel handed her the note from Kelly to read as they headed for the car.

“Wait. We can’t leave yet, not if we’re taking the baby with us,” Sam said. “Let me give Dean a call, I know he has Ben and Emma’s old stuff and we can borrow a car seat.”

By the time Dean had arrived with the car seat, both Hannah and Sam had read the letter. Sam was on his phone again, this time making a shopping list – “even if we decide not to keep him ourselves, we’ll still need supplies for the next few days, and it would be nice not to dump him on a new family completely empty handed. I get why Foxglove did what she did and I can’t blame her for it, but I’m not doing that to someone else.”

“Keeping him ourselves is an option?” That was a surprise to Castiel. Neither Sam nor Hannah had ever said anything about wanting kids, and weren’t they going through enough with Castiel’s problems? Was it fair to dump a baby into that?

Hannah reached out and started petting Castiel’s hair. “Of course it is. I think it would be good for you, actually. I’d been planning on asking you two about having a child in the next couple years. Adopting Jack saves me the trouble of pregnancy and you two the trouble of figuring out who the biological father is going to be. If things work out with Jack and we decide we want more, we can always think about having a biological child later, or adopting another one.”

Castiel looked at the carrier that Sam and Dean were strapping into the car seat. “How is this good for me? You know what a failure I am.”

“No, I don’t, I know you’re a good man who cares deeply about those you love and that you’ll do your best to raise a child to be the absolute best they can be. No one’s perfect at parenting. Making mistakes will happen, Castiel, but Jack will give you the motivation and courage to push through that and keep trying. I’ve always hated that you decided to retire as a hero – yes, it’s nice to know that I’m never going to get the call that you were killed in the line of duty, but it meant so much to you.”

“You supported me walking away,” Castiel said with a frown.

“We supported you making the choice you thought was right,” Hannah corrected. “Sam and I both would rather have seen you keep fighting than hang it up, but when you told us you were retiring, it sounded certain. You and Jack need each other, Castiel. Jack gives you a purpose, and you give Jack a home and love and protection and, given who his biological parents are, you can help guide him through learning to use his powers when they develop.”

Castiel let that sink in while Sam finished. Was Hannah right? Could being a father be the direction he’d been lacking since retiring but badly needed? Was it fair to ask a kid to be his therapy project? What would Sam think of this?

“I think we’re parents,” Sam said, interrupting Castiel’s thoughts. “I never wanted to be a father, but I would have agreed to it if you or Hannah had brought up having a child before one got sprung on us, and Jack needs us. Between the three of us, nowhere could be safer for him – I know who to get to get the legal protections, Hannah can find whatever social services we need for him, and you’re going to be physically present with him most of the time, at least in the same building. If all else fails, you have the skills to hold off anyone who comes after Jack until we can get backup there to get him out. Dean’s already planning how and when to tell Ben and Emma about their new cousin and get them together to play.”

“We don’t have to decide right away. We can take some time, see how things go these first few days,” Hannah promised. “If after a week you still feel like you can’t do this, we’ll talk about it again then. If it would help, I can get you in with a therapist. I know you’ve refused to go before, but I really think it would do you a lot of good, and it would probably make you feel more certain about being a dad.”

“Really, the only thing I think we should decide is what we’re going to ask Jack to call us,” Sam added. “Since both of us being Dad would be confusing.”

“Can I be Dad?” Castiel asked. “That name never meant John Winchester to me.”

Sam blinked a couple times before letting out the amused huff Castiel loved to see so much. “Good idea. That makes me Papa, unless we come up with something else between now and when Jack starts talking.”

“So I’m Mama, and Kelly can be Mom,” Hannah added. “We’re parents? Castiel?”

Castiel nodded. “I probably should talk to that therapist, Hannah. But if you and Sam think I can do this, then let’s do this.”


End file.
